Adapt and Accept
by apostleofanime
Summary: Rin comes out to his team. Momo deals (sort of.) {Pairing is rinharu, but Haru isn't in this fic)


When Rin walked into the pool the room the whole place, just as it had whenever he walked into the room for the past week, got quieter. Some people avoided his gaze, others stared at him as if they might be able to see visible evidence of what they had heard to be true.

Ignoring the reactions of his teammates (or lackeys, as he affectionately referred to them) Rin walked to the front of the pool, standing beneath the giant timing clock.

"Alright, before we start practice, I want everyone to gather up here for a minute!" Rin yelled, his voice ringing throughout the pool area. Team members gave each other nervous glances and whispered among themselves as they came to gather before their captain. Rin took a visibly deep breath, but showed no other sign of emotion as his team formed in front of him.

"I know that there have been rumors about me spreading around the locker rooms for a while now- you guys need to work on your lying and whispering skills, by the way- and I know there have been mixed reactions to these rumors. I have decided it is in everyone's best interests to put these rumors to rest. You guys are my team, and you deserve to know the truth." Rin said, his voice remaining calm, but authoritative.

"Yes, it is true, I am dating Haruka Nanase from the Iwatobi swim team."

Had there been pins to drop, they would have been audible in the silence that followed. All whispering and glancing stopped. The entire team's gaze rested on Rin.

"I want you all to rest assured that my relationship with Nanase will not affect my performance as a captain or athlete, and that it will most certainly not have any effect on my performance in competitions. If anything it will make me want to win against him even more, in revenge for only ever going to restaurants that serve mackerel." Rin said, smiling slightly.

This got a few nervous giggles out of the boys in front of him, and the tension in the room decreased.

"Alright, that's enough talking. Everyone get to work, we have a tournament to prepare for! Kasagi, don't think I've forgotten about that new training regimen I've assigned you." Rin barked out, causing most of the swimmers to disperse. Only one remained, staring at the wall, apparently somewhat shell shocked.

Momotarou left practice as soon as he could that day, mumbling something to Nitori about a stomach ache.

Momo lay on the top bunk, staring up at the ceiling. Nitori was in the cafeteria eating dinner, probably with….. Rin.

Momo had expected Rin to burst out laughing after his announcement at practice, telling them it was a joke, of course he wasn't dating Nanase-san, of course he wasn't….

Like that.

Now that it was all done, Momo just felt confused and uncomfortable.

To him, Rin was the epitome of manliness. Strong, athletic, somewhat intelligent, nice without being wimpy, emotional without being a pussy. Those, in Momo's mind, were mandatory characteristics in being considered a man. However there was another crucial thing all real men did.

They liked girls.

Real men were supposed to like cleavage as much as Momo did. They were supposed to woo all the pretty girls with their manliness and sweep them off their feet, go have a house and kids and money.

Of course Momo had _heard _of guys who liked guys, and girls who liked girls, but he had never given it much thought. People like that were some far off thing, people he imagined to only exist in dingy bars in places such as Tokyo or New York, guys who worked as hair stylists and acted ultra-feminine, and women who either dressed as men or were ugly and had cats.

He had certainly never imagined someone like that to be the guy he had previously considered a role model in all things butch.

Momo didn't go to dinner that night, and only grabbed a muffin on his way to class the next day. When he finally got to practice, he had to give himself a silent pep talk before opening the door. Looking around the pool, it seemed that everything was normal. Then he heard a voice behind him.

"Momo."

Momo froze, stifling a screech, and turned around to see a very grumpy looking Rin. He gulped.

"You're 10 minutes late, Momo. We were supposed to have relay practice right after warm ups, where were you?" Rin questioned, stepping closer. Momo's eyes widened, and he felt himself backing away.

"I, uh, sorryIhavetogoIdon'tfeelsogoodI'lldoextrapracticelaterbye" Momo let out in a rush, before whipping his body around and running to the change rooms.

He pulled his uniform and quickly, and left. He knew that Rin would most likely send Nitori to check on him when practice was over, or even worse, decide to check on Momo himself. Deciding his dorm wouldn't exactly be an effective hiding place, Momo went around to the woods in the back of the school, walking farther in then students usually did. Once he had gone what he deemed to be a safe distance, had found a tree, and sat down at its base.

What was he supposed to do?

He couldn't just avoid practice. It wasn't like being gay was contagious or anything (as far as he knew, and last he checked his love of the female form had not diminished in the slightest), and Rin would catch on at some point. With a sigh, Momo decided to do what he often did in troubling situations.

He decided to call his brother.

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he pressed one of the two numbers he had one speed dial. It was about 25 seconds before Seijuro picked up his phone.

"'ello?" Came a groggy voice from the other end.

"Uh, hey bro, it's me." Momo said, his voice much more nervous sounding than usual.

"Hey there Mo, what's up? Sorry, I was out late last night so I was asleep." Said Seijuro.

"Um, that's okay. I was just wondering, have you heard Rin's… announcement?" Momo said, unsure how to phrase things.

"What, about him and Haruka? Yeah, but I didn't exactly need him to tell me. You weren't there last year, but I'm sure everyone on the team who was is glad that they have finally gotten together. No one wants a repeat of the angst-and-sexual-tension fest that was every single competition last year. Anyway, what about it?" Seijuro asked.

"Aren't you, um, weirded out by it? Ii mean he doesn't really seem like someone who would be… like that."

"Like what? In a relationship?" Seijuro answered.

"No I mean… he's so manly and strong…. How can he be gay?" Momo said, finally spitting it out. He heard a sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Momo, look. Has Rin Been coming to practice?" Seijuro asked.

"Huh? What does that-"

"Answer the question." Seijuro snapped.

"Uh, yeah."

"Has he been carrying out his duties as a captain properly?"

"Yeah, he's a great captain, but-"

"Has his swimming gotten worse?"

"No, I mean it's even better, but-"

"Then who cares who Rin wants to date?" Seijuro said. "I know you have all these weird ideas about manliness and all that crap, but if Rin hasn't changed at all, don't you think that maybe you are putting too much weight into who he chooses to date? He's still the same Rin you know and respect, just with a boyfriend."

Momo wasn't sure what to say. It was true that Rin didn't seem to have changed, if anything the captain seemed happier. It wasn't like had suddenly lost the ability to swim, or his muscles had all disappeared.

"Besides" Seijuro continued "If he's into dudes, doesn't that just leave more girls for you?"

Momo's face brightened.

"Heeeey that's a good point! The girls won't be able to date the captain, so they would totally want to go after a member of the relay team!" Momo exclaimed, gaining laughter from the other end of the phone.

The next day, on his way to the cafeteria in the morning, Momo was found.

"Momo!" he heard a voice call, and turned around. Rin was coming towards him.

"Where the hell did you go yesterday? No one could find you, and Ai said you didn't get back to the dorms until late. What's going on?"

Momo took a deep breath.

"Rin-san!" he said, a bit louder then he needed to "I am sorry I left practice yesterday! I got pretty freaked out by the fact that such a manly guy is gay! However, it was brought to my attention that I was being an idiot, and I realize that I was in the wrong! I fully support your relationship with Nanase-san!"

Rin stared at him for a moment, blinking, his eyebrows raised.

"Uh, thanks? I think? Does this mean you're coming back to practice now?"

"Yes! I will be there right on time!" Momo said, still loud.

"Great." Rin sighed. "Also, can you please stop talking so loudly?"

"Yes!"

Rin sighed again, letting his palm meet his face.

_Three weeks later…._

Rin knew there was still unrest in the team about his announcement. He was surrounded by teenagers after all, it was to be expected. That didn't make him any less uncomfortable, however. He knew that when it came down to it, he had Ai, Momo, and Sousuke (despite his apparent dislike for Haru) behind him, as well as a chunk of the guys who had been on the team last year. However now he was by his locker in the changing room, and he could hear the voices of his teammates, who obviously did not know he was there, floating over to him.

"I mean, all I'm saying is that I don't think I'm comfortable being in the changing room with this guy. What if he assaults me or some shit?"

"I know what you mean. It's just plain weird. He seemed like a really cool guy, but then he goes and turns into a fag."

"Why the hell is he even captain?"

Rin's fists clenched. He didn't know who those guys were, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He didn't want to have to look at his teammates and know which ones hated him. The words continued, and he was about to just go out and say something, until he heard the unmistakable shrillness of Momo's voice.

"God, will you guys just shut up?"

The other voices fell silent.

"Seriously, just stop. I mean, I was weirded out at first too, but you guys are just being stupid. Who cares if the captain likes guys? He's still a better swimmer then any of us, and he's still a great captain. I don't really get why he's into guys either, but if he's happy then who cares? Besides" Momo paused "if _he's _into _guys, _then doesn't that just leave more girls for the rest of us?"

There were some vague sounds of agreement, and then Rin heard the other swimmers leave. He smiled to himself.

However strange Momo was, he really was a good guy.

Perhaps things would work out after all.

_This just kind of popped into my head, and I decided to give it a try._

_Also I am in love with Momo._

_Please R&R!_

_-Ash_


End file.
